An inquiry by the Defence Safety Authority has found that a Royal Navy Merlin Mk4 helicopter crashed into the English Channel after its crew mistakenly shut down two fully working engines during an in-flight emergency, killing Lieutenant Rhodri Leyshon, 31. The accident occurred during a night deck-landing training exercise with the carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth off the Dorset coast, and highlights how confusing cockpit warnings can lead crews to misdiagnose a fault under pressure, with fatal consequences.

The 152-page report found the crash began when a component failure in the No2 engine caused excessive power, triggering automatic systems to reduce output from the other two engines. Misleading warnings led the crew to believe engines one and three had failed, and despite required procedures calling for confirmation from a second crew member, the switches for both were turned off without it. Seconds later the faulty No2 engine also shut down automatically, leaving the aircraft powerless; it struck the sea roughly three minutes after the initial fault at about 62 knots, generating forces of more than 10G. Investigators noted the crew's original plan to attempt a running landing on HMS Queen Elizabeth would "almost certainly" have succeeded had it been carried out.